Activate the Perks of Your Passive Home

Climate change has made people more inventive and rediscover old ideas for modern solutions. Passive house design is one of them. The passive house draws inspiration from ancient architecture to make a home use minimal energy and keep it comfy throughout the year without relying on powerful HVAC systems.

If you’re looking to build a new home in Kelowna, consider passive architecture to minimize your carbon footprint and energy costs. While there are a myriad of benefits of passive architecture, you aren’t doing yourself a favour by being a passive dweller.

Tips and tricks to make the most of your passive home:

1. Don’t puncture the walls

Passive homes have incredible insulation and this is achieved through a myriad of ways. One of those ways involves using a membrane-like layer on the inside. For Kelowna new homes, this layer acts as an important barrier that maintains airtightness and separation from external temperature fluctuations. If you puncture that barrier with nails for hanging pictures, accessories, or shelves, it makes your home less energy-efficient. Instead, you can use adhesive strips or simply lean frames at an angle over the floor.

2. Pay attention to ventilation

The ventilation system in Kelowna’s new homes for sale is a core component that goes a long way towards making your home passive. Familiarize yourself with the ventilation system and how the controls work. Figure out how you can change the flow and volume of fresh air with seasons and depending on the number of people inside your home. For instance, you may need to open a few more channels during hot summers when you have guests in the living room. Clean the filters or swap them out when necessary as well.

On the other hand, during winters, you can keep your home comfy and less dry by line-drying clothes inside your home. Apart from that, you can also add house plants like:

  • Snake Plant
  • Peace Lily
  • Dracaena and more

That increases moisture levels and makes winters less dry.

3. Harness the power of nature

Adding house plants inside your home isn’t the only way of harnessing nature’s power. Let the sun do its work in winters and allow it to move air and keep yourself cool during the hot summers. Open the windows, during summers, but keep the blinds and curtains closed to allow in wind and block out the sun’s warmth.

During winters, keep windows facing the sun open and allow in the sun’s warmth. With Kelowna contractors, you can go an additional step extending passive design to the landscape. For instance, you can add bushes, deciduous trees, and other plant life strategically to keep your home shaded and cool in summer and warm in winter. Apart from trees and plants, you can also use external structures like overhangs and awnings in your home’s design.

4. Be mindful of generating heat inside your home

As mentioned above, in a passive home, your ventilation system does a lot of heavy lifting to maintain indoor air quality and keep you comfy. However, this system is stressed when you generate excessive heat inside your home.

For instance, using hot showers for hours or cooking over the stovetop for an extended duration can raise the internal temperature. Instead, try to rethink your chores with the microwave oven, one-pot cookers, and air fryers. Meanwhile, short hot showers make them a treat and something you look forward to.

5. Invest in smart and energy-efficient appliances

New home builders in Kelowna go through a lot of brainstorming to design your custom home’s building envelope and make it as energy-efficient as possible without impacting your quality of life. You can take that one step further by choosing energy-efficient and smart appliances that aren’t just convenient but monitor and learn your energy usage patterns to adapt and lower power consumption. You can also look at your energy usage patterns and optimize your habits accordingly.

Living in a passive home isn’t just about lower utility bills. It’s a conscious choice that embraces the spirit of sustainability and a genuine step towards lowering your carbon emissions. Knowing that your choice is contributing towards a greener future can be very rewarding. Make sure to choose the right builders who can help you realize this dream.